| Author |
Message |
    
44mag2
| | Posted on Monday, August 07, 2006 - 11:58 pm: | 
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My XB12X pings in hot weather. The timing is set per the factory spec. I run 91 octane (best I can get). I want to try an octane booster that if O2 sensor friendly. Any recommendations? Anything that I should worry about? |
Diablobrian
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 01:43 am: |
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I'd look at retarding the static timing a couple of degrees before I'd go in search of octane boosters.
Checking the static timing is pretty easily done with the bike, or just the rear wheel on a stand. |
Dave
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 07:52 am: |
|
Agreed... The timing seems to be a bit advanced on most of them (mine as well). Besides timing, I wonder if a colder plug has been explored. The '99 FIs had a similar ping issue and were resolved by Buell coming out with a colder spark plug. It took dealerships forever to get on board with the different plug.
DAve |
44mag2
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 12:53 pm: |
|
I will retard the timing a bit. The bike runs great in normal weather ... that was why I was thinking of octane booster during hot weather. Sounds like the bike is designed to run as advanced as possible. How much power will I lose by retarding a few degrees?
What makes a spark plug colder? The Gap?
Thanks! |
Dave
| | Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 10:14 pm: |
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It's not the gap. I imagine the internal resistance but I am not 100%
DAve |
44mag2
| | Posted on Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 04:52 pm: |
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Well ... I retarded the timing so the mark is halfway between the center and the right edge ... it should be about 3 degrees. Is there any negative effect of retarded timing I should look for (besides hotter engine)? |
Blake
| | Posted on Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 10:56 pm: |
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No hotter engine, no negative effects to slightly backed-off/retarded timing. |
Bombardier
| | Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2007 - 06:39 am: |
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A Hotter plug will have more of the electrode protruding from the ceramic insulator. |
Sparky
| | Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2007 - 05:29 pm: |
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Insulator protrusion is one way to make a plug hotter, but not always. Two plugs can look the same on the outside, yet a cold one might have a shorter insulator length for faster heat conductance than a hot plug which might have a longer insulator. The difference in length at the base can be seen with a magnifying glass or plug scope.
The thing that determines whether a plug is hot or cold is the temperature of the electrodes and insulator at the business end and its ability to conduct that heat into the head regardless of construction or materials. |
Bluzm2
| | Posted on Monday, December 03, 2007 - 11:20 am: |
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Here's a good picture from the Champion Spark Plugs web page.
It illustrates the difference between a cold and hot plug's internal structure.
As you can see, the electrode itself and it's protrusion is the same.
Brad
|
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Octane boost?